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#2 Czech Republic (1996)
Widely recognised as the best chance Czech Republic have ever had of winning a European Championship title, they were unfortunate not to come away with a victory, ultimately losing thanks to an Oliver Bierhoff golden goal in extra time.
Boasting the burgeoning talents of Pavel Nedved, Karel Poborsky, Vladimir Smicer and Patrik Berger, they had a roster chock-full of really nifty players – and they played some riveting stuff in the mid-1990s as England hosted the tournament.
Regularly throughout the competition the Czechs countered their opponents with lightning-quick fluidity, often finding real joy down the middle of the park by way of some confident runs through Pavel Kuka, and although they came a cropper against the Germans who were hell-bent on capturing silverware after their stutter against Denmark just four years earlier, Dusan Uhrin’s men were nonetheless a joy to watch – and Poborsky’s cheeky chipped effort against Portugal perfectly sums up the flair for the dramatic they had at the time.
They were nearly men in the end but their brave, counter-attacking industry will live on even though there will always be the pang of cruel regret over Germany’s winning goal that fateful summer’s day.
